Archive for December, 2013

Earlier this year Steam announced they would be releasing a dedicated operating, based on Linux, for the ultimate gaming experience. Hardware could be made to run of OS, more like an Xbox or Playstation, however those with PCs would also be able to access the OS, in a dual boot mode with Windows to gain access to their gaming collection.

The main plus point is to eliminate slow down that might be due to Windows running in the back ground. A more refined operating system designed to give the best performance for you gaming experience. Also help with some of the attitude Microsoft is adopting towards the gaming platform. SteamOS is now available for download in a limited beta format.

SteamOS Download links:

According to the FAQ, SteamOS is a fork of Debian GNU/Linux. The first version (SteamOS 1.0) is called ‘Alchemist’ and it is based on the Debian ‘wheezy’ (stable 7.1) distribution. Here are the system requirements:

Intel or AMD 64-bit capable processor

4 GB or more memory

500 GB or larger disk

Nvidia graphics card (AMD and Intel graphics support coming soon)

UEFI boot support

USB port for installation

Currently SteamOS is in beta, so those without Linux knowledge may want to wait until next year for a more polished version. Reports are coming in that the downloads are failing, and Steam have recommended using some form of download manager. If you want to wait for the final hardware, we’ll see it all in January at CES.

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With Christmas just around the corner it seems to be that Tablets are sitting quite high up on many a Christmas list and whether you’ve been naughty or nice theres lots of choice on the tablet market at the moment.

I suspect that many parents will be looking for tablets for their kids this year and with a number of budget options on offer starting at around £80 tablets are finding their way in the to the hands of much younger kids that before.

Here in the UK there have been some high-profile budget tablets over the past few months with 7″ Android tablets on offer from Tesco, Argos and now Lidl, you’d think that the supermarket chains could have had it all sewn up but as tablets are this years must-have toy, and true to form for the popular toys, these tablets are either out of stock or in very short supply.

So, carrying on with our look at some of the tablets on the market this year we have the Lenovo IdeaTab A3000. The A3000 is a budget tablet that will compete in this years tablet frenzy on the run up to Christmas. It may be budget priced but it has been on the market for a while so is the A3000 a tablet that can hold its own in the 7-inch tablet arena? We have a quick look.

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Google is apparently to be working on a Nexus TV. Google TV fans have been hoping for a Nexus-branded TV or set-top box for a long time. It seems it may be finally happening, except this rumoured device would not be Google TV that we know and somewhat ignore. More than likely this will be the oft mentioned “Android TV.”

The rumour comes from The Information, who’s sources claim this Android-based set-top box would could be released as early as the first half of 2014. This device would be able to stream video from services like Netflix, Hulu and YouTube. In addition, the box would also allow you to play some video games.

This sounds a lot like Google TV, except for one factor – it will not support live broadcast TV. Which is the biggest known difference between Android TV and Google TV. What will become of the existing Google TV? I’ll this be a TV with a Chromecast built in?

So many questions and it will be a joy to find out the answers.

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The Samsung Galaxy Note was a device that many figured would die at launch. It was a gamble thankfully turning out to be a good one. The device was the first of a new craze and met with great reviews and only the cynical labelled it “too large.” Here we are two years later and the second revision of that ground break device has been launched and the eyes are on it. Can the King of the Phablets play a hat trick?

I have used the Samsung Galaxy Note II for a full year and would continue to be using it now had it not been for a slight accident that resulted in a cracked screen, a home repair left the device non-replaceable under insurance and a tear forming in the corner of my eye. “Worry not” I figured “the Note III will be here soon and shall pack all kinds of awesome, I shall never look back.”

Certainly, it arrived with an almighty clap of thunder but I did not hit any plastic to keep it in my life, and here’s why.

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The seemingly tit-for-tat battle between Apple and Samsung has been rumbling on for quite some time and there have been wins for both sides during the legal wrangles.

However, Samsung’s latest loss has come as something of a surprise and it’s happened in Korea, Samsung’s own home.

Patent violation claims have been raised by Samsung against Apple and Samsung steadfastly maintain that Apple are infringing upon key patents and have been calling for a sales ban on a number of Apple products in South Korea – including the iPhone 4S, iPhone 5 and iPad 2. The three separate claims are based on three patent infringement allegations these Apple products were using mobile messaging technology from Samsung.

In a statement Samsung said:

“We are disappointed by the court’s decision, as Apple has continued to infringe our patented mobile technologies, we will continue to take the measures necessary to protect our intellectual property rights.”

The sales ban was rejected in the Korean court and the claim of around £58k in damages was also dismissed.

This will be a bitter loss for Samsung but the legal tussle between the two tech-giants is sure to wage on for some time to come.

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LG seem to have had a pretty successful end to 2013 with two of the more popular Android smartphones on the market at the moment coming from LG; The Nexus 5 and the flagship LG G2.

Already we’re starting to see some details of what could be the LG G2’s successor and if ppomppu.co.kr are correct the device will be called the LG Gx.

Based upon a google translate of the page, the LG Gx will have a diaplay slightly larger than the Nexus 5 and G2 at 5.5-inches, a claimed 2GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage and LTE-A support. It has also been said that there will be a 13-megapixel rear camera and a whopping 3140 mAh battery.

Where the information seems to have been called in to question is in the chipset department where the claim is that a Qualcomm 600 rather than the ‘usual’ 800 is listed which doesn’t seem to ring true as the devices that the Gx will succeed are 800 based.

We’ll be keeping or eyes peeled for more on this one as we’re pretty big fans of the Nexus 5!

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Gareth, Dan and Phil are here with another UK update on the mobile front, this week with Phil Lain.

This weeks podcast was supposed to be the best of 2013 however it would appear the Hangout suffered from some form of technical set back and the majority was lost. However, we still have the news from this week and Dan shows us his new tool…

Next week we hope to record again with the Best of Award show in all it’s grandeur.

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A DSLR camera is so much more than a point-and-shoot tool to take nice family pictures. With a few basics tips and a lot of practice, you can create artistic-studio quality work that you will be proud to share with family and friends. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your purchase.

Start with the Basics

Read your manual; it’s a time investment you won’t regret. The great thing about the user manual is everything you read can be applied right away. If the thought of reading the whole thing at once intimidates you, start with a chapter at a time, and experiment with what you learn. Remember to thoroughly clean the camera lens before each photo session.

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Good old Nokia has turned up trumps this week in a manoeuvre that will impress many. Nokia USA is offering a Lumia to Richard Wygand who’s Samsung Galaxy S4 recently caught fire whilst charging. Richard took to a social network to show off the damage.

Posting a video on Youtube of the flames licked device Richard was offered a replacement by Samsung, however he was asked to remove the video from Youtube. Samsung was hoping to keep the issue a secret and sort out any issues without publicity. Richard refused to remove the video.

Nokia rushed to the rescue, taking the opportunity to turn things in their favour and sent Richard a free Nokia Lumia (model not mentioned.) Their comments were for Richard to experience customer service as it really should be. I’m not sure if this means Nokia sent Richard a broken Lumia as a number to get it fixed…

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There was talk months ago about Samsung releasing a few different variants of the Samsung Galaxy S4. A tough and rugged one that could accompany you on adventure holidays or onto the building site. A larger, almost dedicated camera version. And finally a higher quality version as many have given the majority of Samsung’s flack for their all plastic construction.

The recently release of the Galaxy Gear with it’s impressive steel construction has gotten some rumours going that the S5 might be of metal construction. Instead we see that the Samsung Galaxy J is being launch in Taiwan. Additionally the phone has 4G LTE-A technology inside it.

Here are the features we could dig as it is essentially the same as and S4